1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in a general manner to a press-insertion connector, commonly referred to as a press-fit connector, and more specifically to a press-fit connector adapted to connect a printed circuit to an electrical device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Press-insertion connectors, known as press-fit connectors, are already known from the prior art. These connectors are commonly used to make connections on the printed circuit without soldering.
With reference to FIG. 1 in the appended drawings, the connector according to the prior art comprises a casing 1 and a plurality of pins 2.
The connector may also comprise an alignment grid 13.
The pins 2 are attached to the casing 1 and are arranged in a number of rows. A number of pins 2 are aligned on each row.
Usually, the connector may comprise 50 to 200 pins arranged in 3 to 5 rows. In the connectors of the latest generation, the number of pins 2 tends to be much greater than that of the usual connectors, while their dimensions remain substantially identical.
At the time of the connection of the connector to the printed circuit, the pins 2 are inserted into the corresponding holes of the printed circuit in a direction of insertion 16 that is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the printed circuit.
One of the difficulties encountered at the time of manufacture of connectors of the press-fit type lies in the positioning of the pins. The higher the density of the pins, the more important this problem becomes.
In the first instance, the pins must be correctly positioned according to the length and across the width of the connector, the width and the length of the connector being defined in a plane parallel to the plane of the printed circuit.
In fact, at the time of the insertion by pressure of the pins of the connector into the holes in the printed circuit, each pin must be perfectly positioned in relation to the hole into which it must be inserted. Every incorrectly positioned pin would not penetrate into the corresponding hole and would cause a malfunction.
In addition to the positioning of the pins according to the width and to the length, it is also necessary to ensure the good positioning of the pins according to the height, the height being defined according to the direction of insertion 16.
In fact, the extremities of the pins that are intended to be inserted by pressure into a hole in the printed circuit must be positioned in one and the same plane otherwise there is a risk of their becoming jammed in the tool which assures their insertion into the printed circuit. In addition, they run the risk of not finding the hole into which they must be inserted and of being crushed on the printed circuit.
Whereas the incorrect positioning of the pins according to the width and to the length is corrected in particular by means of an alignment grid, no satisfactory solutions are available for correcting the length of the pins according to the direction of insertion 16.